Wibaek R, Vistisen D, Girma T, et al. - Healthy children (n = 507) preschool children from the city of Jimma, Ethiopia, for 5 years starting from birth were recruited in the Ethiopian iABC birth cohort study by the researchers in order to examine how fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) at birth and their accretion during infancy were related to body composition and cardiometabolic risk markers at 5 years. In early infancy, children who gained more fat mass had higher fat mass and waist circumference and greater concentrations of risk markers associated with cholesterol metabolism at 5 years. In early infancy, children who gained more lean mass were taller and had more lean mass at 5 years. Fat and lean mass growth in early infancy were not correlated with blood pressure and cardiometabolic markers associated with glucose homeostasis at 5 years. Thus, FM accretion in early life was positively related to markers of adiposity and lipid metabolism, though not with blood pressure and cardiometabolic markers associated with glucose homeostasis. Moreover, FFM accretion was primarily correlated to linear growth and FFM at 5 years.